Review: Payday 2 Collector's Edition

Have you been robbing banks with friends this past week? After
patiently waiting for my copy of Payday 2 for a week over the scheduled
release date, I am ecstatic to finally play the much anticipated sequel to Payday:
The Heist. I was lucky enough to snag a collector's edition for the Xbox 360 and will now answer the burning question every gamer has when deciding on which version of the game to purchase: Was this collector's edition worth the added cost?

Starting off, the collector's edition comes with the following items:

Dallas Vinyl Mask

Blue Surgical Gloves

Payday 2 $100 Wallet

Payday 2 Soundtrack

Game Disc

The packaging consists of one box with all of the contents. Upon opening, the game disc has its own separate slot and includes a standard copy of the game. The packaging is minimal and no space is wasted. Unfortunately, a steelbook was not included as part of the collector's edition and would have been a nice added touch for gamers who want to showcase their cases.

The Payday 2 soundtrack comes in a flimsy paper holder that does not seem like it will not hold up to every day normal wear and tear. As a result, the case was a bit of a letdown as the quality felt rather cheap and encourages the item to be more of a display piece rather than something I would take with me in my car. The money wallet is made from Tyvek and will last for a decent amount of time under heavy use. A picture of Dallas, Hoxton, Chains, and Wolf holding guns is featured in the middle of the "bill" with Wolf's signature on the bottom right. Overall, the wallet is a great addition to the collector's edition and can actually be used for its intended purpose!

The vinyl Dallas mask included in the collector's edition was not the mask I expected. The mask is made of a rather thin material with velcro clasps on the back acting as fasteners. The stitching on the mask is poorly done as the velcro pieces are weakly affixed to the straps and long term wear of the mask is not recommended as the straps may come apart or rip the mask while it is in use. This mask is absolutely a novelty item and is not intended for actual use. The flimsy shape does allow the mask to easily mold to your face and looks great; however the manufacturing process has deemed this to be an inferior product.

Similar to the mask, the gloves are quite a let down. The paper thin material is not indicative of surgical gloves and feels as if it can be easily torn. Again, the product feels extremely cheaply made and is absolutely a novelty item versus a wearable entity. If you were planning on using these for a cosplay, I would suggest foregoing the included gloves and purchasing actual surgical gloves.

For an extra $20, the Payday 2 Collector's Edition for consoles is not worth the investment. The quality of the materials is lackluster and leaves much to be desired. If you are not a hardcore fan of the franchise, I would forgo this collector's edition and purchase the standard version of the game. Will you be purchasing a Payday 2 Collector's Edition?